Need Some Difficult Advice

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Sarah-sore

Sarah-sore

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hi guys, so in my last post I made a tribute to Rusty and her passing away. With Lillith and her gone they left me with 2 little piggies. Callie and Allie. They're both about 2 years old. I just tried to bond them and I thought it was going well until about 2 hours later there was a full out fight and I didn't make it over to them in time and now Allie has a bite marks all over her nose/mouth area. I had to put the divider back up so they can't get at each other.
I honestly don't think I'll be able to bond them together. Callie is too aggressive and too head strong. Allie will back down and be totally submissive and for whatever reason Callie still goes at her.
I'm wondering if I should rehome my last two girls?
I know for sure once these girlies pass away I'll be completely done with guinea pigs. I absolutely love them but I can't go through the loss again and my life will soon be picking up. I'll be doing a full time job and part time schooling. That's not the main problem though. My main problem is as I said before I dont think I'll be able to bond them and I can't welcome any more piggies into my home.
Another problem is when I was checking Callie for any cuts or bumps I found a lump under her arm that wasn't there not even 2 weeks ago. If this lump turns out to be non-benign than I don't know if I'll have it in me to go through with the process of having it removed and worrying about it coming back.
So, with that being said I'd have to make sure she'd go to a proper home that would be able to stay on top of that lump, should it be cancerous.
I also don't want to give them up because the house will be so quiet and different without any guinea pigs in it. I live at home with my parents and its always been a team effort to look after the girls.
Things would be so different without them but I just don't know if I have it in me anymore to do what needs to be done to look after them. Could anyone give me any advice on what they would do in this situation?
 
I think it's early days. You are coping with just nursing your much-loved Rusty through her final days, and you are grieving. It is normal to need a break and to feel like you cannot go through it all again. BUT if you rehome them now I do fear that you may regret it. I'm not saying it's a wrong decision at all, but that it's a decision that you may make too early, whilst the grief is so raw, and now may not be the right time for making such a decision, as you may feel differently in a few months.
The lump does bring up complications though. I think you need to see what the vet says first and the reassess things. If it's harmless then it can be ignored. If it turns out to be serious then you may regret giving her up and leaving someone else to nurse her, even though it is hard emotionally to do. You may find yourself wanting to take her back to tend to her yourself. It's a horrible mix of emotions when dealing with poorly pets.....
And if it does turn out to be serious you may end up with one pig, in which case you either have the chance to try to find one for her to bond with anew, or you rehome her, or something else, but right now I believe there are too many if's and but's and maybe's and don't knows to make any immediate decision.

But I am not trying to sound cold at all, my heart goes out to you. I think many here have wondered if they could go through it all again. I know I have, and if you can't then you can't :hug:, but now may be too early to decide I think x
 
Poor you! Please disinfect Allie's bites with sterile saline solution from the pharmacy and have her checked by a vet if there are signs of infection.

I am very sorry, but they won't go back together after a fight like that. I would recommend to leave them next to each other for the time being. :(

I don't know where in Ontario you are, but here is a link to the two good standard, piggy savvy and safe guinea pig rescues in your province if you are deciding to give them up. I would however strongly advise you to please sleep over this and not do something that you may rue later on.
Guinea Lynx :: Canadian Rescue Organizations

PS: I have moved your thread from the housing to the behaviour section.
 
Grief is a terrible thing when I lost my Milo I was in pieces and the thought of enduring it all again was not an option.

A few weeks on and the end doesn't seem as terrible. I can do it again now, ask me that two weeks ago and it'd have been a different story. My point is in two weeks time things may seem different.

I would have the lump checked first as it's not fair to rehome her without knowing what your dealing with first of all. Your girls can live happily side by side they don't have to live together. They can still interact through the bars.
 
Thank you everyone for your responses. Not much has happened since I last updated. The girlies are still divided but I've been trying to give them a bit of cuddle time. I am a bit worried though. I went to look at Callie's lump to get a feel at it and look at it and I found probably 2-3 bumps on her tummy right before her rear. She also has a dark spot there and when I touched it to get a better feel of it she bit me and started chattering up a storm. But, it could have been her hair seeing as she has crazy fur.
She also has almost..crusty nipples I'd say. I looked this up but it seemed harmless so I thought nothing of it.
Also, she has one spot of fur on her side in the back that her fur is stringy and sparse.
And then the lump under her arm is alarming too. Its small, probably about the size of a small marble and it hard as a rock but she didn't seem overly upset when I poked and gently squeezed it.

Also, @CarnivalPiggy I introduced them on the floor, sort of near their cage but it was a spot where they've never been before. Its the spot where I successfully introduced my (once) herd of 3.

@Critter Thank you. This advice has helped me quite a bit. For now I think I am going to keep the girls and get them both vet checked and then from there figure out what to do.
 
I'm actually thinking there may be more than one thing going on here with Callie, but I'm hoping that one of the forum medically experienced members will give their input. Fur loss can be a sign of mites, and may also explain why she was grumpy if you unwittingly touched a part where the mites are affecting her. It will likely make her grumpy with her companion too (she may calm down towards Allie after treatment).
Mites are not down to bad cage hygiene, they strike when a guinea pig is under some sort of stress, either through illness or other forms of stress.
This patch of fur and the lumps need checking out as soon as you are able to get to the vet, as mites can get bad very quickly, but is generally successfully treated with injections. Those lumps need some kind of diagnosis too.
I'm sorry you are under so much pressure at this already difficult time :hug:

@helen105281 ?
 
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